But that doesn’t mean what’s on the papyrus fragment is factual.
“The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” is back in the news. The faded piece of papyrus caused controversy in 2012 when it was unveiled by a Harvard Divinity School historian. Skepticism ran deep because of two phrases it contained: “Jesus said to them, ’My wife …’ “ and “she will be able to be my disciple.”
The papyrus fragment has now been tested by professors of electrical engineering, chemistry and biology from several universities. They report it resembles other ancient papyri from the 4th through 8th centuries. What the tests show is that the fragment seems to have been from an ancient manuscript and is not a modern-day fake. The carbon black ink has been tested and, according to electrical engineering professor James T. Yardley, found to be “perfectly consistent with another 35 or 40 manuscripts that we’ve looked at,” that date from 400 B.C. to A.D. 700 or 800. The fragment doesn’t prove, of course, that Jesus really had a wife or that he had female disciples.
Karen L. King was the Harvard historian who unveiled the fragment. “I took very seriously the comments of such a wide range of people that it might be a forgery,” Dr. King said in an interview. “When you have all the evidence pointing in one direction, it doesn’t make it 100 percent, but history is not a place where 100 percent is a common thing.” She now is confident the scrap is genuine.
Some scholars still have their doubts. In addition to the controversial content, some experts have questioned the fragment’s suspicious lettering, poor grammar, uncertain origin and the fact its owner insisted on anonymity. The Harvard Theological Review, which will be publishing Dr. King’s long-awaited peer-reviewed paper, will also be publishing a rebuttal from Leo Depuydt, a professor of Egyptology at Brown U., who thinks the papyrus fragment is a fake.
Even if the papyrus fragment is actually from the early centuries after Christ, that doesn’t mean what’s on it is factual. Think of the lies or misunderstandings being promoted as factual today in many magazines and newspapers. Think even of satirical publications like The Onion. They may be authentic 21st century works, but that doesn’t mean what they say is the literal truth.
The idea that Jesus was married is controversial because there is not a single verse in Scripture that talks about Jesus having a wife. If Jesus had been married, it would have been unusual for him to have been gone from home and his wife so often when he was away preaching. However, New Testament scholars have stated the papyrus really is talking about the “bride of Christ,” not the “wife of Christ.” The phrase “bride of Christ” is scriptural because it is based on Jesus’s references to Himself as “the bridegroom,” in which case His followers or the Church would be His bride (Matthew 25:1-13).
As for the implication that Jesus had female disciples, that too is scriptural, even though the Catholic church apparently is afraid this understanding will be used to promote the idea of female priests. But Matthew’s gospel shows Jesus directing His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20), which surely would include women as well as men. Also, Jesus had His devoted female followers such as Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-16). Remember that being a disciple doesn’t mean the same thing as being the head of a church.
Dr. King did make a very astute observation when she said, “history is not a place where 100 percent is a common thing.” That is the problem with archaeology, paleontology, cosmology and every other “ology” which tries to look into the distant past. The scientist working in these fields can never be absolutely certain he got it right. Compare that to the Word of God which is 100%. So, while archaeology, paleontology, cosmology, etc. have their merits, when they disagree with the Bible, they must always take second place.
Think of what it would be like for Christians if we were not 100% sure about such passages as “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) or “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) or “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2). But thanks be to God Who has given us a faith that trusts every word of Scripture along with its Author.
Reference: Laurie Goodstein, “Papyrus Referring to Jesus’ Wife is More Likely Ancient Than Fake, Scientists Say,” New York Times.
Illustration of a woman washing Jesus’s feet from The Bible Revival.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
How can you always have your health insurance card with you even when you don’t have it with you?
Use your cell phone to take a photo of both sides of your health insurance card. Of course, you can’t forget to have your cell phone with you for this trick to work.
Source: Bottom Line Personal (April 1, 2014)
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